


Little Prince

by WiCeBa



Series: Namesake Necklace [10]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Gen, Harry Potter Has PTSD, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-13 04:08:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29895390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WiCeBa/pseuds/WiCeBa
Summary: Eileen considers the effects Tobias left behind and watches Sev comfort Harry after a nightmare.
Relationships: Eileen Prince & Severus Snape, Eileen Prince & Severus Snape & Tobias Snape, Harry Potter & Severus Snape
Series: Namesake Necklace [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1982444
Comments: 20
Kudos: 134





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place back in August before Portended Prophecies.

  
  


Eileen rubbed at her sore eyes and debated casting an illumination charm. 

There was something safe about the dark kitchen though, and she couldn’t argue against that feeling, not at the moment. She knew she should try, as she was only hiding from herself and sooner or later she’d need to handle this, but she hadn’t the courage to look her fears in the face.

Screams in the dead of night sent her thoughts straight back to Spinner’s End. 

The sound of water dripping onto the countertops rang in her ears and she quickly flicked her wand, vanishing the overfilled portion in the tea kettle. Tobias’s voice whispered in the back of her mind and berated her for failing to properly fill a kettle without magic, but she stoutly ignored it. 

It’s a kettle, it harmed no one to overfill it.

She wondered if anyone in her house had managed to sleep for more than a few hours at a time in the last week. It seemed unlikely, given how often Harry would scream them all awake. What could she say about that though? She couldn’t just put silencing charms on his bedroom or around her own, not when something dreadful may happen. 

Sev’s low voice echoed through the hallway and Eileen sent a silent hope of strength toward him and Harry both. 

Whenever Harry woke, Sev woke with him and Eileen often after the fact. If Harry managed to fall back asleep though, Sev rarely joined him. He typically stayed awake for far longer afterwards. She wasn’t sure where Sev found the energy, as he’d never displayed this degree of watchfulness when he’d been growing up. He’d always been cautious, of course. He’d grown up under Tobias and that would breed a certain level of self-preservation in anyone, but she supposed there was something different between the wakefulness that came from a fear for oneself opposed to worry for another. 

She had less experience in separating the two than she’d ever admit aloud. 

She’d always been worried for Sev. She’d also been terrified for herself. She wasn’t sure how many years had passed since Sev began working at Hogwarts and Tobias left her, but it was still a struggle to put herself back to sleep after having been scared awake. She often only managed it by tricking herself into believing Sev was safe. 

No matter how untrue it may be. 

Even if she couldn’t tell the difference between the two emotions, she hoped Sev could. Wakefulness from fear for oneself led into a rabbit hole of trouble. 

The sound of slippers brushing over the floor had her peering through the darkness. 

Sev stepped into the room with Harry, who’d been bundled in his blanket and was resting exhaustedly against Sev’s shoulder. Harry didn’t seem to be entirely awake, but Eileen had been around him enough to know he was always more alert than he appeared. 

A consequence likely from having been terrorized while growing up. 

“Is that ready?” Sev asked with a whisper as he pointed at the kettle. He flicked his wand and lit the lamps with a dim and warm glow. 

Eileen blinked at the kettle and realized she’d spent the last few minutes waiting for it to boil, but never cast a heating charm. 

“No. I’m sorry,” She said softly. Tobias’s voice echoed in her ears again, but she firmly spoke the incantation for the heating charm in an attempt to smother the sound. “It’ll be ready soon, love, I’m sorry.” 

“It’s better if it takes a while.” Sev hummed as he slowly began rocking side to side. “I don’t think Harry will be willing to lay back down anytime soon.” 

Eileen smiled weakly and wondered if Sev realized how often he managed the emotions of those around him. She’d done the same with Tobias, so it wasn’t as if she had room to speak. His and Harry’s recent encounters with Dumbledore had her worrying how much Dumbledore relied on Sev’s own behaviours. 

Harry sniffled and his hand slipped upwards to linger near his mouth. The longer Sev rocked, the more relaxed he seemed to become, for which, Eileen was relieved. 

They all needed more sleep. 

Sev took a moment to eye the kettle as he pulled Harry higher in his arms. Eileen wondered if she should store this memory for later, in order to show Sev how skillful he was with caring for others when he set his mind to it.

“Do you know,” Eileen said. “I used to do that with you.” 

Sev blinked blankly at her as Harry settled again. 

“Rock you back to sleep, I mean.” 

Sev scoffed. “I think that’s a given.” 

Eileen shook her head and summoned three mugs from the cupboard. She wasn’t sure if Harry’d be awake enough to have a cup, but she didn’t want to deprive him of the choice. He seemed to do far better with solid evidence of an invitation to eat. 

That thought should’ve been more obvious when she’d first gotten to know him, but Eileen truly hadn’t realized it. She supposed it made sense. If he’d been excluded for his entire childhood, a physical representation of inclusion would be invaluable. 

Eileen couldn’t say if that truly had been Harry’s experience, as neither Sev nor Harry had expressly informed her, but if these small acts helped, she’d continue to do them. 

“You say that, but it isn’t.” Eileen said. 

Tobias certainly never rocked Sev when he’d been small. It’d never occurred to him as an option, not that he’d often assisted Eileen with childcare. 

Harry’s thumb brushed over his lips and Eileen thought idly about the mismade potion he’d been doused in. While his emotional and mental state were in constant flux, it didn’t seem as if his muscle memory had been as frustrating for him. Harry’s physical effects seemed to be the only facet of the potion that acted as the potion intended though. 

“It is.” Sev said as he ran an idle hand through Harry’s hair. “Even if I’d never seen a child, I’d know rocking helped.” 

“How?” Eileen asked as she shook her head. “Who’s child have you been around?” 

Sev blinked blankly again. “I’ve,” He paused and Eileen could see him searching his thoughts for a suitable answer. “Because, well—” 

“Because, well?” Eileen mimicked him with a kind laugh and turned to the kettle in order to pour herself a mug. She debated whether or not Sev would balk at her if she poured his tea as well, but decided to risk it. “What an answer, Professor.” 

Sev made a fussy sound. 

“Lily used to rock Harry. That’s how I know.” 

Eileen twisted and watched her son carefully. His eyes flickered somewhere beyond her kitchen and his arms tightened around Harry. 

“I once met with her when she’d been pregnant, at her flat.” Sev said. Harry’s thumb slipped between his lips. “She told me, she thought Harry could feel when she was stressed, and he would calm down if she rocked.”

Eileen nodded slowly. “I imagine so.” She quickly filed away Sev’s small reconnection with Lily and tried to remain focused on their present conversation. “When you were a little older than Harry is now, you’d sit on my lap and rock with me when I did my knitting.” 

Sev’s eyes floated toward the ceiling and she wondered if he could remember it, or if he was trying to imagine it. 

She desperately wanted to remind Sev of his old pet name, but she had a feeling they were nearing his limit for reminiscing. It was all too easy to fall into darker memories when they talked about the past and mentions of Lily often signaled Sev’s limit, whether or not he realized it. 

As it stood, she wouldn’t have thought it was possible to remember any small, happy moments, not with everything else being coated with fear, worry, and anger. 

If she hadn’t lived directly beneath Tobias’s foot, she probably wouldn’t have understood how the mere thought of him could swallow memories, and leave herself and Sev wading through years of pain in search of momentary happiness. 

Every so often, she debated whether it would be worse for Tobias to revisit the two of them, or for her to encounter a dementor. 

She often chose the dementor. 

Harry made a soft sound and his eyes fluttered briefly. Eileen dearly hoped he dreamt something kind. 

“I wonder if Harry would like to learn to knit?” Eileen asked as the thought flashed in her mind. 

Sev’s eyes dropped back into the kitchen and he huffed a laugh. “You’re welcome to ask, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he disliked it. I’ve never seen him take any particular interest in tasks like those.” 

“Knitting is a highly useful skill.” Eileen said firmly. “Imagine you find yourself stranded on a beach—”

“Do I have a wand?”

“Hush, it’s my hypothetical.” Eileen said with a pointed finger. “Now, imagine you’re stranded on a beach. There are lovely palm trees and gentle waves.”

“This beach sounds idyllic. Are you sure I’m stranded?” 

“You’re an optimist in this hypothetical.” 

“That’s exceeding a hypothetical.” 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

“Oh, yes!” Jan, a muggle Severus had seen once before, excitedly pointed Mother and Harry in the direction of the nearest fabric stall. 

Severus felt distinctly uncomfortable about it. He tried to convince himself of the hypocrisy in his behaviour, but a niggling worry refused to be silenced. Mother had lived in Germany for far too long to need to ask for directions towards fabric. 

She’d certainly lived in this small town long enough to find the fabric stall on her own. 

Perhaps she wanted Harry to have the opportunity to explore and meet others? 

He shook his head and twisted to look through the chilly, early morning fog toward a fruit stall. Harry’d woken early with a cheerful disposition despite his frightening nightmare, but eaten less for breakfast than Severus would’ve liked. It could’ve been Harry’s stomach being unable to tolerate much given his earlier fright, and while Severus hadn’t the best grasp of childhood nutrition yet, he didn’t think fruit would hurt. He wondered if he might enjoy a smoothie. 

“Sev, come say hello.” Mother called. 

Severus turned back around and stepped closer to the three of them. Harry smiled brightly and rounded Mother as he darted closer and circled Severus’s long legs. 

“Ah,” Jan said with a kind smile. “I should have liked to say hello sooner, your mother speaks so highly of you.” 

The innate urge to grimace flashed through Severus but he ignored it and instead, dropped a hand over Harry’s head and nudged him closer. He spent a half second wondering if he was using Harry as a human shield to avoid socializing, before giving Jan a polite smile. 

He dreaded these sorts of interactions. 

Jan didn’t look as if he sensed Severus’s discomfort, but Severus supposed he’d have met his fair share of awkward customers and would have enough social grace to appear unbothered. 

“She’s unfailingly kind.” Severus finally said. 

Jan laughed. “You should see the reviews she’s left for my stall. You’re certainly kind, Eileen.” He said as he smiled at her. “A bit English though, if I may say.” 

Mother laughed and made a quip about English humour as Severus watched. Jan made another comment and smiled as he pointed to a small slip of paper on his notice board. Severus’s niggling worry crept through him once more, though he refused to give a name to it. He refused to consider it as anything that should be named at all. 

Harry’s hand snuck into his own and Severus gladly turned away from his thoughts. 

“Do you want a smoothie?” He whispered as he leant closer to Harry. 

Harry’s eyes flew over the crowded stalls and he nodded after spotting the one stacked with baskets of fruit. “Should we wait to say goodbye to Mr Jan?” He whispered back. “He said he knew a few places to explore near the house.” 

Severus sniffed and wondered why Jan knew anything like that, but put it down to likely having grown up in the area. 

He seemed to be a staple within the market. Jan ran an information booth within an already well established clothing stall. It was very likely he'd been here for years longer than Mother. 

“Mother likely knows.” 

Harry twisted around to watch them for a moment. “Oh, ok.” 

A quiet voice in the back of his mind berated him for enlisting Harry in a plot to avoid conversation, but Severus stoutly ignored it. Mother hadn’t had very much time to herself since they’d arrived and she likely wanted some, even if she rarely brought it up. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a smoothie for myself before.” Harry said. “I used to make them for Dudley, but he usually drank all of it.” 

Severus scoffed and lifted Harry up into his arms. 

Harry blinked at the sudden movement, but settled quickly against his front. 

“Your cousin would’ve benefited from learning to share at an early age.” Severus stepped quickly toward the stall. “They teach that at primary school, though I’d guess he missed the lesson there as well.” 

“I don’t think he’s gotten much better at it.” Harry mumbled. “The diet Aunt Petunia put him on made him hungry all the time.” 

“And you?” Severus asked as they stood in line. 

He wondered if Mother would chastise him for having left the two after hardly introducing himself, but he doubted she would. She rarely said a word against him. 

“Erm,” Harry started, stiffening uncomfortably in Severus’s arms. “You mean was I on a diet?” 

“Were you?” Severus asked, dreading his thoughtless behaviour and wishing he hadn’t made Harry uncomfortable in his quest to avoid Jan. He shouldn’t have brought up a difficult topic after their exhausting night, but abruptly changing the subject might lead Harry to feel his opinion wasn’t valuable. “What did you think of your aunt’s choice in food?” 

“I think she made healthy enough choices. Dudley’s school nurse sent her a booklet with a lot of recipes and information about food groups, but no one really loved it.” 

Severus hummed and pointed toward the flavors for Harry to peruse. 

The rigidity filtering through Harry eased and he inspected the choices with a curious look. 

Severus tossed a nervous look over his shoulder and eyed Jan once more, but wished he hadn’t. Jan and Mother looked to be deeply caught in their conversation and neither seemed to have noticed Severus and Harry’s disappearance. 

Was it concerning she hadn’t noticed Harry’s disappearance? 

He shook his head and reminded himself that if it had been only herself and Harry, she wouldn’t have let go of Harry’s hand. 

“Erm, can I have a cherry one, please?” Harry asked. He pointed toward the picture and Severus wondered if his father had preferred cherry, as Lily had despised it. 

Severus nodded and made quick work of ordering and paying. 

“Do you think Ms Eileen would be upset with me if I learned to knit later?” Harry asked as his head slipped slowly downward until landing on Severus’s shoulder. 

“Hardly.” Severus said, carding his fingers through Harry’s hair. “She won’t be upset if you choose to do something else.” For a brief moment, he worried whether or not he should’ve agreed to visit the market at such an early hour, given the droopy look in Harry’s eyes, but he reminded himself of how excited Harry’d been to get out of the house. 

They collected the smoothie and Severus began a slow march back toward Jan and Mother. Harry almost looked too tired to enjoy the drink, but he quickly proved Severus wrong. 

In an attempt to ignore what might be occurring between Jan and Mother, Severus mentally considered the amounts of several ingredients he’d need for Harry’s cure. Despite a clear mental image of how much asphodel he would need to counteract any betony, he couldn’t seem to take his eyes from Mother’s genuine, curious smile. 

She didn’t often express true emotions to others and Severus couldn’t decide if he was looking too deeply into something that didn’t exist. 

He didn’t know how anything could exist, given Mother’s secretive nature. 

“Ah,” She said as they neared her, despite Severus’s snail-like pace. “Severus, come see, Jan’s just found the first review I wrote for him, it was years ago. I remember, I was searching for quiet pubs.”

“Yes,” Jan nodded as he held the slip of paper up. “Places to bring family.” 

Severus smiled tightly and pressed Harry closer to his chest. Harry didn’t seem bothered. He snuggled into the hug. 

“Your son must’ve been quite small at the time.” Jan said with a kind smile toward Severus. Harry stiffened again, but didn’t say anything. “I’m glad I didn’t point her toward any nightclubs.” 

“You knew better, we’re all a bit older, aren’t we?” Mother said.

“You’re never too old to go dancing.” Jan said off handedly. He took a small step closer to Severus and placed the note on the counter of his stall. If it was up to Severus, he likely wouldn’t have come any closer, but he didn’t want Mother to feel as if she needed to worry about who she formed friendships with around him. 

Severus couldn’t bear the thought of enacting some form of power over her, despite how quickly she’d agree to do what he wanted. He shouldn’t concern himself with her choices. 

He peered closer and spotted Mother’s handwriting. She’d praised Jan’s thoughtful response to her inquiry in two short sentences. 

“I’ve never been to a club.” Harry said idly. 

Jan laughed as Mother smiled kindly.

“You know, I’d be quite surprised if you had.” She said as she dropped her hands into the pockets of her tan jacket. “I don’t think you’ve been to Rita’s fabric stall either, but it’s far more appropriate for the hour.” 

  
  
“Ah yes, Rita,” Jan nodded. “She’s stern, but she has a very good eye for fabric.” 

Severus swallowed a dry comment about Jan’s own behaviour and waited patiently as Mother said her goodbye’s. He debated the niceties he should probably say, and gave Jan a short nod with the hopes that it satisfied the social requirement. 

He could nod for his mother. He should do more than nod, but he wasn’t sure what would be appropriate. 

“I wonder if Rita has complained about something before.” Mother said as they began making their way toward the stall. “Jan doesn’t often make comments like that.” 

Severus hummed and held onto Harry’s smoothie after it was handed to him. 

He cast a discreet heating charm over Harry’s soft coat when his teeth began to chatter and berated himself for having chosen a drink that was iced. 

At least Harry seemed to have liked it. 

“It’s not the best business practice, I’m sure.” Severus said. He’d likely been too quick to judge a man he didn’t know. Mother didn’t deserve Severus’s judgement on her friendships. She didn’t deserve for Severus to be anything less than supportive of someone who seemed genuinely kind. 

“Maybe she’s mean?” Harry asked in a soft voice. 

Severus debated turning around and returning to Mother’s house preemptively. 

Mother shrugged. “She could very well be. She’s been nothing but kind since I’ve gone to her, though.” 

“Maybe she’s just misunderstood then?” Harry guessed as they wound their way through the market. “And she doesn’t like people very much, but she does like fabric.” 

“I think we’d get along on the basis of preferring professions in spite of clientele.” Severus said. 

Mother and Harry laughed and Severus felt a bit less awful. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed it, please leave a comment below! I hadn’t intended on there being a part two, but this idea has been around since I’d begun considering Eileen. There might be a part three now too. Either way, I hope you guys enjoy!  
> I’m a fan of tiny Harry realizing Snape needs a bit of comfort too.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!!  
> This is a mix of requests from justlis and yvoxy! I hope you guys enjoyed reading and if you did, please leave a comment below.  
> Also! Eileen’s pet name for Sev is the title of this fic. He’s a half blood prince and he’s a little prince!


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